Rick Santorum

The Obama administration's income-driven repayment program will cost more than twice as much as the Department of Education initially thought it would, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

When Donald Trump contacted him early in September 2014, Rick Santorum suspected Trump had something specific on his mind. He just didn’t know what it was. "I don't think Donald Trump does anything by accident," Santorum says. "He found an excuse to reach out to me."

Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio need a last-minute charge to compete in Monday's Iowa Republican Caucus. Recent precedent shows that Cruz could overtake Donald Trump to capture first place. Rubio would need an historic surge to win — but he could at least be in the mix by making up ground similar…

Going in, Chris Christie was the guy to watch at the undercard debate. He’s moving in New Hampshire, he handled his relegation with grit, and people are finally starting to see what a talent he is.

Goffstown, N.H.

Rick Santorum is keeping expectations low for his second presidential campaign. Asked if he would need to win the Iowa caucuses to stay in the race, the former senator said it “depends.”

As the news of the nuclear deal reached between the United States, its Western allies, and the Islamic Republican of Iran broke Tuesday morning, Republican presidential candidates were nearly unanimous in condemning the agreement.

Both Florida Republicans running for president are tied for first among registered voters in their party, according to a new poll of the Sunshine State from Quinnipiac.

Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator and runner-up for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, will run for president again in 2016. The Associated Press reports:

Last week, I noted that Harvard's Robert Putnam had made a rather baffling and slanderous statement about American Christians. As an empirical matter, it was utterly indefensible and not the kind of untrue generalization you would expect a prominent social scientist to indulge in. So, that was…

A new poll of likely Iowa Republican presidential caucus goers finds a wide-open field with three candidates vying for the top spot and a plurality undecided. Scott Walker, the governor of neighboring Wisconsin, leads the latest poll from Loras College, earning 12.6 percent support. Florida senator…

Several of the likely Republican candidates for president have spoken out in defense of Indiana governor Mike Pence and his decision to sign the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act. CNN reports that several White House hopefuls, including Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal, and…

It’s still two years before the next president takes the oath of office, but the contest that will determine who raises his right hand that day started in earnest last month for Republicans, with a grassroots gathering in Iowa and a meeting of high-dollar donors in California.

It's still a year and a half before the first presidential primaries of 2016, but Gallup has a new survey out asking Republicans and Democrats about the potential GOP candidates. Analyzing those candidates' familiarity and favorability among Republicans, Gallup has discovered the best known and…

Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum spoke Thursday at the Faith and Freedom Conference in Washington about the failure of the Republican party and its presidential nominee to speak to the concerns of middle class and working people. Politico's James Hohmann reports:

Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum says he is “open” to another run for president in 2016. Santorum was asked about a possible presidential campaign Monday at THE WEEKLY STANDARD. 

Lots of people have already unpacked the philosophical and logical problems with Mitt Romney’s belief that 47 percent of the country is basically free-loading off of everyone else (and voting Democratic). I’m struck, however, by how the moocher theory was presaged during the primaries in the…

Conservative leader Gary Bauer, who endorsed Rick Santorum earlier in the year, did a good job of summing up the former Pennsylvania senator's presidential run.

Newt Gingrich is using Rick Santorum's announcement that the former Pennsylvania senator is suspending his presidential campaign to make a last ditch effort at becoming the Republican nominee--by drawing a contrast with front runner Mitt Romney.

Moments after Rick Santorum finished his speech announcing that he was suspending his presidential campaign, Mitt Romney issued a statement to "Congratulate Senator Santorum on the Campaign He Ran."

Fox News just reported that Rick Santorum will, in a few moments, announce that he is suspending his presidential campaign. His announcement is taking place in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Mitt Romney is projected to win the Wisconsin Republican presidential primary, according Fox News. Currently, 162 of 3,755 precincts are reporting, with Romney getting 42 percent of the votes so far, Rick Santorum with 40 percent, Ron Paul with 11 percent, and Newt Gingrich trailing with 6 percent.

A final get out the vote call from Mitt Romney's campaign in Wisconsin suggests an unholy alliance of the Santorum campaign, "union bosses," Democrats, and Santorum's "cronies" might be conspiring to extend the GOP contest, and urges Wisconsin voters to stop those efforts by voting for Romney. The…

Rick Santorum is leading in his home state of Pennsylvania, according to a new Quinnipiac poll:

Rick Santorum has released a new ad drawing a comparison between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, and arguing the two politicians share positions on health care, the environment, taxes, and the Wall Street bailouts. Watch the ad below:

PPP reports on its latest Wisconsin presidential primary poll, ahead of tomorrow's election there:

The month of April is a big one in the GOP nomination battle, with major states in the Midwest and Northeast up for grabs, and more than 300 delegates at stake.

Mitt Romney is maintaining his advantage in the Wisconsin Republican primary contest, according to a recent poll by Marquette University:

The Republican presidential primary race in Pennsylvania is tightening, according to the findings of a recently released Franklin and Marshall poll:

The next major test for Republican presidential candidates is April 3 in Wisconsin, where GOP voters are not accustomed to having much of a voice in the presidential primary process. But even with Wisconsin looking like an important state – in some ways maybe a decisive one – voters there are more…

Rick Santorum’s 22-point margin of victory in yesterday’s Louisiana primary was the 2nd-largest in any GOP primary this year — and was the largest outside of any candidate’s home state. Santorum received 49 percent of the vote in the Bayou State, equaling the combined tallies of Mitt Romney (27…

Rick Santorum is projected to win today's Louisiana Republican presidential primary, according to CNN. Currently, only 4 percent of precincts reporting, and Santorum has 40 percent of the vote, Mitt Romney 30 percent, Newt Gingrich 22 percent, and Ron Paul 5 percent.

Rick Santorum is pushing back against what he's calling a misinterpreted quotation, in which he's being reported as saying he'd vote for Barack Obama over Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential contest. "I would never vote for Barack Obama over any Republican," Santorum says in a statement, "and to…

The latest Rasmussen poll of likely GOP primary voters, taken the day after Mitt Romney’s win in Illinois, shows Rick Santorum with a 12-point lead over Romney in Louisiana (43 to 31 percent). If Santorum’s lead holds up, it will continue the trend of Romney winning Democratic-leaning states,…

As Mike Warren noted earlier today, an aide to Mitt Romney compared the general election campaign to an Etch-a-Sketch. "Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign," Eric Fehrnstrom said on CNN this morning. "Everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch-a-Sketch. You can kind of…

Mitt Romney won a solid victory last night in the Land of Lincoln. Let’s take a close look at how he pulled it off.

Alex Burns reports how much more money Mitt Romney's campaign and super PAC spent in Illinois than Rick Santorum's.

This afternoon, Mitt Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul emailed a brief, edited video of rival Rick Santorum speaking in Moline, Illinois today. "I don't care what the unemployment rate's going to be," Santorum says in the five-second clip. "Doesn't matter to me."

It’s not easy to lose 63 seats in a House election. Before 2010, the last time it had been done was when Joe DiMaggio was still patrolling center field for the New York Yankees. It’s even harder to pull off such a feat when exit polling shows that Americans were inclined to blame the prior…

The latest Rasmussen poll of likely general election voters in the “core four” swing states of Florida, Ohio, Virginia, and North Carolina shows Rick Santorum leading President Obama by 4 percentage points (48 to 44 percent), while Mitt Romney trails Obama by 4 points (46 to 42 percent) — an…

Rasmussen’s polling shows Mitt Romney leading Rick Santorum by 9 percentage points (41 to 32 percent) in Illinois, yet likely primary voters in the Prairie State hold almost identically favorable views of each candidate.  Romney’s net favorability rating is +38 points (68 percent “favorable” to 30…

Another stunning March Madness upset: #15 Lehigh took down "inevitable" #2 Duke this evening, 75 to 70.

The fantastic NCAA upset of #2 Missouri by #15 Norfolk State has big implications:

The latest Fox Chicago poll of likely Republican voters in Illinois:

In the biggest prize among November's swing states, the latest Rasmussen poll of likely voters shows Rick Santorum faring slightly better than Mitt Romney versus President Obama. In Florida, Santorum trails Obama by 2 percentage points (45 to 43 percent), while Romney trails Obama by 3 points (46…

Michael Kaplan, a college teacher, has a thoughtful and intriguing explanation of Rick Santorum's views of higher education:

Quinnipiac polls former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum's home state:

Despite reports of Republican devastation in the contraception debate, social conservative themes show surprising signs of hanging around.

A new poll of likely voters in Texas shows that Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum has "a substantial lead." Stephen Dinan reports:

With the Alabama and Mississippi primaries now complete, and with the Hawaii caucuses counted, more than half of the states (accounting for 41 percent of the delegates) are now in the books in the Republican presidential race. Through these first 26 states, Mitt Romney has won 52.7 percent (496 of…

Rick Santorum won two surprise victories last night in the Alabama and Mississippi primaries, and he did so by poaching voters from Newt Gingrich’s coalition. To appreciate this, let’s take a look at some data.

“Senator Santorum is at the desperate end of his campaign,” Mitt Romney told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Tuesday. Oops. For weeks, Team Romney and many of its allies have been eager—one might even say desperate—to end this campaign. The Republican primary electorate has been resisting this, and the…

Rick Santorum's victory speech tonight, delivered after being declared the projected winner in Alabama:

Fox News projects Rick Santorum the winner of today's Republican presidential primary in Mississippi. The call is made with 88 percent of the precincts reporting: Rick Santorum has 32.9 percent of the vote, Newt Gingrich 31.5 percent, Mitt Romney 30.2 percent, and Ron Paul 4.4 percent. Santorum is…

NBC News projects Rick Santorum the winner of the Alabama Republican presidential primary. With 30.5 percent of the precincts reporting, Rick Santorum has 34.5 percent of the vote, Newt Gingrich has 29.7 percent, Mitt Romney has 28.2 percent, and Ron Paul trails with 5.3 percent.

Today is a relatively big day in the GOP nomination battle -- with caucuses in American Samoa and Hawaii and primaries in Alabama and Mississippi. The main story is in the South, though. And although this Southern Super Tuesday has relatively few delegates at stake – just 84 are up for grabs…

WWL-TV reports on its latest poll of Louisiana Republican voters:

During his interview yesterday with David Gregory on Meet the Press, Rick Santorum shared his thoughts on the economy, Obamacare, and how Republicans can beat President Obama. 

Two new post-Super Tuesday polls show Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum running neck-and-neck for the lead in the Republican presidential race. An ABC News/Washington Post poll shows Romney leading Santorum by 4 points (33 to 29 percent), while a CBS News/New York Times poll shows Santorum leading…

Rick Santorum is projected by the Associated Press to win today's Republican presidential caucuses in Kansas. So far, with 61.4 percent of precincts are reporting, Santorum has 53 percent of the vote, Mitt Romney has 17 percent, Newt Gingrich has 15.7 percent, and Ron Paul now has 13.4 percent. 

Rasmussen’s polling in Alabama and Mississippi shows Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, and Newt Gingrich each having between 25 and 35 percent support in both states, suggesting true 3-man races in both upcoming GOP primaries. (In Alabama, Gingrich leads with 30 percent support, followed by Santorum at…

On Super Tuesday, Mitt Romney won six of the ten contests, a majority of delegates allocated, and more security in his march to victory at the Republican convention in Tampa. The Romney campaign not only claimed victory Tuesday night, they've since argued that winning the nomination is "an…

Rasmussen reports on its latest Alabama presidential primary poll of likely Republican voters:

Are conservatives ready to coalesce around a presidential candidate? A new poll commissioned by the Committee for Work Families PAC finds that a vast majority of grassroots conservatives want the Republican party to unite around one particular candidate: Rick Santorum.

At the Washington Examiner, Tim Carney says the conventional view of Rick Santorum--that he has a problem with women voters--contradicts the facts. Carney says the claim is "rooted in bad math," citing a New York Times blogger who notes that Santorum trailed Romney among women in Arizona by 17…

Back when Rick Santorum was driving around Iowa in the “Chuck Truck,” the ratio between Mitt Romney’s and Santorum’s respective fundraising hauls was far greater than the ratio between the respective payrolls of the Boston Red Sox and the Pittsburgh Pirates. For every $1 that Santorum raised in…

The two leading GOP candidates' speeches last night showcased the real divide in the GOP race. Here's what each of them said, in total, about Obamacare:

Mitt Romney didn’t achieve the knockout punch he wanted on Super Tuesday, but winning five of the 10 contests was no small feat. With his haul of delegates, he continued his march to the Republican presidential nomination.

Rick Santorum is now projected to win the North Dakota Republican presidential contest. This comes for the former Pennsylvania senator in addition to picking up Tennessee and Oklahoma. Republican rival Mitt Romney is projected to win Massachusetts, Virginia, and Vermont, while Newt Gingrich will…

The New York Times reports:

Ricochet: "Newt Explains the Facts to David Gregory"

Washington Free Beacon: "Veteran of the Charlie Sheen media campaign joins Team Obama"

The latest Rasmussen poll of likely general-election voters shows Rick Santorum trailing President Obama by 3 percentage points, which is within the margin of error, while Mitt Romney trails Obama by 6 points. Obama leads Santorum by the tally of 46 to 43 percent.  He leads Romney by the tally of…

It has been said that there is very little difference between the policy preferences of the three leading Republican presidential candidates. This may well be true. But there is a big difference between what the candidates think this election is about. 

Rick Santorum reportedly raised $9 million in February. That’s almost ten times what he raised in the entire fourth quarter of 2011 ($917,000), twice what he raised in January ($4.5 million), and 40 percent more than Mitt Romney raised in January ($6.2 million). The Santorum campaign reports that…

Is the GOP presidential race effectively over? It could turn out that Mitt Romney’s narrow victory in Michigan, and the understandable (if misplaced) concern of lots of Republicans that the continued primary contest is doing damage to the chances of defeating President Obama in the fall, will…

Sean Trende: "Odds of a Brokered Convention Are Increasing"

A day after losing the overall vote in the Michigan primary, Rick Santorum’s campaign is arguing that Mitt Romney’s three-point margin of victory ought to be viewed as a tie because of the way the state's delegates are divided.

Speaking after his 3-point loss (41 to 38 percent) to Mitt Romney in Michigan, which will net him between 12 and 15 of the 30 delegates in Romney’s native state, Rick Santorum said: 

The Santorum campaign made a last-minute effort to find votes in Michigan with this robocall, which encourages Michigan Democrats to vote for Rick Santorum (and against Mitt Romney) in today’s primary. Michigan’s open primary system means there’s no party registration requirement and voters can…

PPP reports on its latest Michigan poll, released ahead of today's Republican presidential primary:

A brilliant essay by James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal on why Santorum might well be electable, on populist conservatism, and on a "clarifying sentence" by Clive Crook with commentary by Mickey Kaus and Jeffrey Bell. Here's a taste—but read the whole thing:

A new poll from USA Today and Gallup shows President Barack Obama behind both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum in key 2012 swing states. In those states, Santorum beats Obama by 5 points, 50 percent to 45 percent, while Romney edges out Obama by 2 points, 48 percent to 46 percent. A separate, national…

Since Mitt Romney and Ron Paul continue to make the curious claim that former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum isn’t a fiscal conservative, here’s a quick, pocket-sized overview of spending grade point averages (GPAs) during Santorum’s tenure in the Senate — based on grades awarded by the…

Through December and January, Mitt Romney was comfortably ahead in polls in his home state of Michigan. Then Rick Santorum surged into the lead after his February 7 victories in Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado. Romney's advertising and surrogate assault on Santorum over the next couple of weeks,…

This morning, Rasmussen released a new poll showing Mitt Romney regaining his lead in the Michigan primary. This afternoon, Romney communications director Gail Gitcho sent out the following email to reporters:

A Rasmussen poll of likely voters in the “four key states” of Ohio, Florida, Virginia, and North Carolina, shows Rick Santorum leading President Obama by 5 percentage points among independents, while Obama leads Mitt Romney by 3 percentage points among that crucial group of voters. The Rasmussen…

WEEKLY STANDARD contributor Jeffrey Anderson chats with Wall Street Journal about Rick Santorum's record, and makes the case that Santorum was one of the most fiscally conservative Republicans in the Senate. Watch it here:

The newest poll of Michigan primary voters from Rasmussen Reports shows Mitt Romney regaining the lead in his home state just days before Michigan's presidential primary. Romney leads his closest rival, Rick Santorum, 40 percent to 34 percent, in a survey taken Thursday evening, one day after CNN's…

The latest Rasmussen poll of likely voters shows President Obama leading Mitt Romney by 10 percentage points (49 to 39 percent) and leading Rick Santorum by 7 percentage points (48 to 41 percent). The poll was taken yesterday — on George Washington’s Birthday — mostly before the GOP debate. Obama’s…

Mitt Romney had a good night at the debate in Mesa last night. But after the debate (as well as during) the Romney campaign flooded the press with the kind of emails that make the candidate so hard to love.

The general view about last night's debate is that Rick Santorum didn't do well. Rich Lowry put it best: Santorum spent too much time "explaining why he voted for things he opposed (NCLB, Title X)," got "tangled up in his Senate record," and was in general "too defensive, too insider, too…

Politico reports: "Rick Santorum’s campaign is airing a negative ad against Mitt Romney in Michigan that wasn’t released to the press, highlighting the former Massachusetts governor’s past positions on abortion, gun rights and more." 

During tonight’s GOP debate, Ron Paul took exception to Rick Santorum’s claim that Paul had finished “in the bottom half of Republicans this year” in ratings published by the American Conservative Union (ACU). Santorum made the comment immediately after having highlighted that the National…

During Wednesday night’s debate in Arizona, Rick Santorum had a chance to answer a recent barrage of criticisms from Mitt Romney on Santorum's record on earmarks. While Santorum may have won the analytical arguments, his opponents may have won the dramatic exchanges.

Less than a week before the Michigan primary, the editorial board at the Detroit News has endorsed Mitt Romney, calling him the "best choice" for "leading this nation to prosperity and stability" and saying that he gives "the GOP a fighting chance of defeating President Barack Obama this fall."…

Just before the start of the holiday weekend, Rick Santorum gave a thoughtful and wide-ranging interview in Michigan.  Over the course of 25 minutes, he discussed Iran (4:05-6:55), saying, “Israel shouldn’t be leading this. This is a national security issue for the United States...we should be…

Quinnipiac reports on its latest national poll of "Republicans and independent voters leaning Republican":

Rich Lowry: "The Effrontery of Rick Santorum"

Ron Paul is out with a new TV ad criticizing Rick Santorum. The ad will air in Michigan, where Paul's a distant third place in recent primary polls. Watch the it below:

Gallup reports: "In the Feb. 15-19 Gallup Daily tracking rolling average, Santorum is ahead of Romney by 36% to 26%, with Newt Gingrich at 13% and Ron Paul at 11%. This marks Santorum's largest lead to date. Santorum had moved to within two points of Romney, 30% to 32%, by the end of last week."

The latest Republican presidential primary poll of Texas from University of Texas/Texas Tribune:

Mitt Romney is now explicitly arguing that Rick Santorum is not a fiscal conservative. CNN writes, “Mitt Romney unleashed his harshest public attacks to date on his surging rival, Rick Santorum, during a rally in Boise Friday. The former Massachusetts governor told an audience of more than one…

Why did Mike DeWine, Ohio’s Republican attorney general and a former U.S. senator, shift his endorsement from Mitt Romney to Rick Santorum? “When I endorsed Governor Romney, I thought he was the best candidate to beat Barack Obama. As this campaign has played out, it is abundantly clear he is not,…

Former Ohio senator Mike DeWine, a Republican, is shifting his support from Mitt Romney to Rick Santorum. Nearly two weeks before the Ohio primary on March 6, DeWine's change of endorsement came as a surprise to the Romney campaign, BuzzFeed's McKay Coppins reports:

Taking a page out of Newt Gingrich's playbook, Rick Santorum blasted TV host Charlie Rose this morning, accusing the anchor of exposing his liberal bias:

Rick Santorum, who trailed Mitt Romney by 20 points eight days ago, has now taken the lead in Gallup’s national polling.  In the Gallup poll released on February 8, Romney led Santorum by the tally of 37 to 17 percent. In the current Gallup poll, Santorum has moved into the lead — 32 to 31 percent. 

When the boss called in late yesterday from Columbus, Ohio, where he gave a speech and had a couple meetings, he said he was struck how light support seemed to be for Mitt Romney—and how receptive people seemed to be toward Rick Santorum. Rasmussen's latest poll seems to confirm the boss's general…

The Detroit News reports on its latest poll of likely Republican voters in Michigan:

The latest Mitt Romney hit on Rick Santorum is headlined, "RICK SANTORUM: BIG LABOR'S FAVORITE SENATOR," and cites Santorum's 1996 vote against a national "right to work" law as primary evidence for its claim. But while Santorum, who represented labor-heavy Pennsylvania, was to the left of some of…

The latest national survey from Rasmussen shows Rick Santorum with a 12-point lead over Mitt Romney among Republican primary voters. Thirty-nine percent of those polled support Santorum while 27 percent support Romney. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul earned 15 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

Mitt Romney is now arguing that Rick Santorum’s record exposes him as one of those Republicans who “act like Democrats” once they get to Washington.  Romney surrogate Tim Pawlenty adds that Santorum “clearly has been part of the big-spending establishment in Congress.” Another Romney surrogate,…

America is going bankrupt, Iran is going nuclear, the Obama administration is going after religious liberty. And Mitt Romney is going after Rick Santorum.

Politico reports on Rick Santorum's newest television ad: a light-hearted, humorous spot featuring a Mitt Romney double firing mud in vain at a cardboard cutout of Santorum. The ad, which doesn't rebut any of Romney's (or his super PAC's) criticisms, says that Romney's "negative attack machine"…

Restore Our Future, the pro-Mitt Romney super PAC, has released a new ad that will air in Michigan, Arizona, and Ohio. The ad portrays Santorum as a "big spender" and a "Washington insider," citing his voting record when he represented Pennsylvania in the Senate. Watch the ad below:

Mitt Romney's campaign is now targeting GOP rival Rick Santorum as a big-spending Washington insider. On a conference call Tuesday afternoon, former Missouri senator and Romney surrogate Jim Talent criticized Santorum’s support for expanding government spending, including his vote for the Medicare…

Both Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are out today with new television ads for Michigan markets. Romney's ad, titled "Growing Up," is a positive profile that highlights the former Massachusetts governor's Michigan roots and echoes what Romney wrote in his op-ed in the Detroit News about the auto…

The first GOP presidential poll taken in California in 2012 shows Mitt Romney leading Rick Santorum by just 2 percentage points, which is well within the survey’s 4.6-point margin of error. The poll, taken by SurveyUSA, shows Romney with 33 percent support and Santorum with 31 percent support. Newt…

The New York Times reports that the pro-Mitt Romney super PAC, Restore Our Future, is spending almost $500,000 on new television ads in Michigan. The ads will focus on Romney's GOP rival Newt Gingrich, even though Rick Santorum looks to be a bigger threat to Romney in Michigan's February 28…

A new Pew poll of Republican and Republican-leaning registered voters finds Rick Santorum with a slight lead over Mitt Romney in the GOP presidential race, 30 percent to 28 percent. Seventeen percent support Newt Gingrich, and 12 percent support Ron Paul. The poll was conducted between February 8…

The latest Public Policy Polling survey shows Rick Santorum leading Mitt Romney by 15 percentage points in the Republican presidential race. In the wake of his upset victory in Colorado and his lopsided wins in Missouri and Minnesota, Santorum now has 38 percent support nationally among usual…

Tom Maguire: "Their gist seems to be that the 'less government' crowd is a bunch of hypocrites, but there is a glaring problem with their numbers."

The results are in from the CPAC straw poll: Mitt Romney has won. Here's the tally:

The Wall Street Journal: "Santorum Gets Spirited Reception at CPAC"

A new Fox News poll, conducted between Monday and Thursday, shows that Rick Santorum's primary and caucus victories on Tuesday boosted him in the national Republican primary race. Overall, Santorum has moved into second place, at 23 percent, behind Mitt Romney at 33 percent. Newt Gingrich is not…

Jake Tapper: "Policy and Politics of Contraception Rule Fiercely Debated Within White House"

Yesterday I pointed out that "February 7 could prove to have been Super Tuesday if it turns out to be a key inflection point in the campaign."  Two indications, I wrote, of such an inflection point would be "if Santorum now passes Newt Gingrich in national Republican surveys" and if he "continues…

For several weeks now the Romney campaign has used a visual header for its press releases attacking Newt Gingrich. Here it is:

A new Rasmussen poll of likely voters in Ohio shows Rick Santorum tied with Barack Obama in a hypothetical November match-up at 44 percent. In the Midwestern swing state, which will be critical for a Republican presidential victory in the fall, Mitt Romney falls 4 points behind Obama in that…

With St. Louis and Kansas City on opposite ends of the state, and with mostly small(er) towns or rural areas in between, Missouri features a blend of urban, suburban, and rural living somewhat like that of the United States as a whole. Yet as this map from the Los Angeles Times shows, Rick Santorum…

When Mitt Romney won the Florida primary last Tuesday by 14 percentage points, how many people in America imagined that when Colorado, Missouri, and Minnesota were contested just seven days later, he would fail to win in any of them? But it wasn’t just that Romney lost. In Minnesota and Missouri,…

Was yesterday Super Tuesday? Only three states had contests, and one was a beauty primary commanding no delegates. On the other hand, it was the first day in which there were races in more than one state, more delegates were selected yesterday than on any day of the primary season so far, and about…

Michael Barone: "A good night for Rick Santorum"

CNN projects Rick Santorum the winner of tonight's Republican caucuses in Colorado. Currently, Santorum is receiving 38 percent of the vote, while rival Mitt Romney is receiving 37 percent. Less than 500 votes separate the two front-runners. Gingrich is at 13 percent, and Paul is at 12 percent. 80…

"We doubled [Romney] up here and in Minnesota," Rick Santorum enthusiastically told his Missouri crowd this evening. Santorum directed his fire at Barack Obama, saying that he does not listen to the American people, and indicating that Romney's positions too closely mirror Obama's own positions.  

Remember the second Florida GOP debate on Thursday night, January 26, in Jacksonville? Mitt Romney came out pummeling Newt Gingrich, Gingrich was ineffectual in response, and Romney sailed on to a decisive victory five days later in Florida. This was soon followed by Romney's easy triumph in Nevada…

Rick Santorum is projected to win the Missouri primary, the first of three GOP contests held Tuesday. At this point, Santorum has garnered 55 percent of the vote, a considerable majority if he holds it.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll of national Republicans suggests a continuing lack of consensus in the GOP primary more than a month after the Iowa caucuses. Mitt Romney earned 29 percent support among Republicans polled, leading Ron Paul with 21 percent. Newt Gingrich received 19 percent of support, and…

Byron York: "Santorum good day could scramble race again"

If the 2012 presidential election is close, which by all accounts it will be, the outcome will likely be decided by 13 states. Of those 13 states (combining for 162 electoral votes), six (combining for 81 electoral votes) are located at least partially in the Midwest, making that the most important…

Today's primary contests include Missouri's "beauty contest" primary, the Minnesota caucuses, and the Colorado caucuses. Polling firm PPP says all three contests look good for Rick Santorum.

On a conference call Monday afternoon, a Mitt Romney campaign surrogate—Tim Pawlenty, the former Minnesota governor—criticized Rick Santorum for being part of the “big-spending establishment in Congress and in the influence-peddling industry that surrounds Congress,” and for previously supporting…

At National Review, Quin Hillyer argues that conservatives should be taking a hard look at Rick Santorum because he's "a true conservative and he can win." In particular, Hillyer argues Santorum's personal appeal is underrated and could prove decisive when it comes to electability:

The latest Rasmussen polling of likely voters shows Rick Santorum faring 8 points better than Mitt Romney in respective head-to-head matchup versus President Obama. Rasmussen shows that Santorum leads Obama by 1 percentage point (45 to 44 percent), while Romney trails Obama by 7 percentage points…

To the Republicans of the states of Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado:

Rick Santorum had a pretty good week. He finished a distant fourth in the Nevada caucuses, but the turnout was so low--down nearly 25 percent from 2008--that the event became yet another indictment of the front-runner. A Rasmussen poll showed Santorum as the only Republican in the field beating…

Public Policy Polling surveys Tuesday's caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado and finds good news for Rick Santorum:

Rasmussen's latest tracking poll finds Rick Santorum faring better than Newt Gingrich or Mitt Romney against Obama:

Rasmussen’s latest polling of likely voters shows President Obama leading Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum by slender and nearly identical margins. Obama leads Romney by 1 point (46 to 45 percent) and Santorum by 2 points (46 to 44 percent).  The President also leads Newt Gingrich by 8 points (49 to…

In Missouri, where the next Republican primary will take place (next Tuesday), a new poll by PPP shows Rick Santorum leading Mitt Romney by 11 percentage points — 45 to 34 percent — while Ron Paul has 13 percent support.  Newt Gingrich isn’t on the ballot in Missouri, so the Show Me State offers a…

I wonder if three features of the race as it stands today aren't being a bit neglected:

Rick Santorum scrapped plans to campaign in Boca Raton this morning and will instead be campaigning in Missouri and Minnesota later today. He will make his way to Nevada and Colorado on Tuesday. 

Right diagnosis. Wrong prescription. That’s the fairest way to describe Rick Santorum’s idea to provide tax breaks for “manufacturing.” Leave aside the definitional issues—some of us at The Weekly Standard who “manufacture” ideas might qualify for the benefit he intends for others. The solution to…

Politico reports, "Picking up where he left off during the debate, Rick Santorum said Friday that Mitt Romney’s health care record is 'a big, big liability' and 'something to get mad about.'"

Tim Mak of Politico reports on the latest Quinnipiac University poll:

More than anyone else during any of the previous Republican presidential debates, Rick Santorum took dead aim tonight at the similarities between Romneycare and Obamacare. Arguing that those similarities could pose great problems for the Republican party and for the prospects for repeal if Mitt…

Between Sunday and Wednesday, Newt Gingrich went from leading Mitt Romney by 8 points to trailing Mitt Romney by 8 points in the Florida GOP primary polls. Thursday night's debate in Jacksonville was Gingrich's best opportunity--and most likely his only--ahead of Tuesday's primary to reverse…

First Read: "Santorum hints at leaving FL before Tuesday primary"

Manchester, N.H.

After he almost won the Iowa caucuses earlier this month, Rick Santorum was instantly dubbed a “Washington outsider,” even an “antiestablishment candidate.” It was a convenient tag that made it easier for reporters to keep all these strange Republicans straight: Newt Gingrich, Washington insider;…

North Charleston, S.C.

In a pinch, Newt Gingrich resorts to his specialty: attacking the media. He did it again Thursday night in the Republican presidential debate in North Charleston, South Carolina. And the audience responded enthusiastically to his angry denunciation of CNN moderator John King for making his former…

Beaufort, S.C.

The Des Moines Register reports: 

Rick Santorum's latest ad warns Republican primary voters not to follow the establishment off a cliff and endorse his rival Mitt Romney: 

Lexington, S.C.

Three days before the South Carolina Republican primary, the press corps is poised to declare the GOP race over. If Mitt Romney follows up his wins in Iowa and New Hampshire with a win in the South, the media will tell Republicans in the other 47 states that there’s no need for them to cast votes…

Rick Perry ain't backin' down on his tough Turkey talk.

Florence, S.C.

Washington Times: "Conservatives feud over Santorum endorsement"

Myrtle Beach, S.C.

The most obvious thing to say about Monday night’s debate is that it was better than almost all the previous ones, in part because there were fewer participants. We’ll get one more five-person debate on Thursday, then Rick Perry will most likely withdraw after Saturday’s primary—so we'll have…

Newt Gingrich has told voters in South Carolina not to vote for Rick Santorum because Santorum can’t defeat either Mitt Romney or Barack Obama. In particular, Gingrich made an appeal to conservatives: “If you're a conservative, just look at the polls. I am the only candidate capable of stopping a…

Rick Santorum said this morning in an interview with radio host Laura Ingraham that Republican rival Mitt Romney has “perpetrated lies” and called on the former Bain Capital chief to release his tax returns.

Manchester, N.H.

The New York Times reports that national conservative Christian leaders are waiting until after the South Carolina primary on January 21 to coalesce around a "not-Romney" Republican candidate. Those leaders are meeting in Texas this weekend to discuss the race. Here's more from the Times:

A new poll of South Carolina primary voters, the latest from PPP, shows Mitt Romney with a lead over Newt Gingrich, 29 percent to 24 percent. Ron Paul just edges out Rick Santorum for third place there, with 15 percent and 14 percent support, respectively.

The Tampa Bay Times reports that Mitt Romney's super PAC is currently up with a new radio ad in Florida's radio markets:

For those who might have missed it, Fox News’s Greta Van Susteren interviewed Newt Gingrich last night and asked whether he was “backing down” on his “attack on Bain capital.” Gingrich replied: 

Ridgeway, S.C.

The latest PPP polling in North Carolina, the swing-state where the Democrats are holding their 2012 convention, shows Rick Santorum faring slightly better than Mitt Romney versus President Obama. The poll shows Santorum and Obama tied at 46 percent apiece in a hypothetical general election…

A national CBS News poll taken after Iowa and released today shows that no one in the Republican presidential field has the support of even 20 percent of GOP primary voters. The poll shows Mitt Romney leading with 19 percent support, followed relatively closely by Newt Gingrich (15 percent), and…

Rochester, N.H.

Concord, N.H.

Concord, N.H.

Concord, N.H.

Manchester, N.H.

Manchester, N.H.

The Republican candidates did a pretty good job of making their cases tonight, given that they were dealing with questioners whose combination of bias and silliness was stunning, even by mainstream media standards.

Manchester, N.H.

A new poll from PPP of South Carolina Republican primary voters shows Mitt Romney with a seven-point lead over Newt Gingrich. Romney has 30 percent support of likely primary voters, compared with 23 percent for Gingrich and 19 percent for Rick Santorum. PPP also found that Romney's most dangerous…

Former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer will endorse Rick Santorum on Sunday at an event in South Carolina. Bauer, a former Reagan administration official, says in a statement that "Senator Santorum best personifies the Reagan-inspired conservatism that unites the GOP."

Manchester, N.H.

Friday afternoon at the Dublin School in Dublin, New Hampshire, Rick Santorum offered a preview of his own general election argument against President Barack Obama. He quoted Juan Williams's account of how the Obama administration rationalized its plan to push forward on passing Obamacare, even…

Jaffrey, N.H.

The conventional wisdom says Mitt Romney is the candidate that President Obama and his allies fear, while they’re allegedly salivating at the thought of facing Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum. Of course, conventional wisdom didn’t have Santorum coming from sixth place in the polls with three weeks…

Jake Tapper: "Rick Santorum Says by the Time He Had Campaign Cash, All the N.H. TV Time Was Bought Up"

When former senator Rick Santorum talks about how much he loves Jesus, or hates abortion, he is usually addressing a gallery that is hungry for such rhetoric, and likely to applaud with enthusiasm. But has anyone ever been elected president of the United States because of his religious credentials?…